The old world

Chapter 2:

“So, that means only three ships are fit for combat?” The state of the fleet was somewhat underwhelming in Shining Armour’s opinion.

“Yes, Captain. If you have any other concerns, I suggest you take it up with Princess Luna” Admiral John Whitehooves was starting to become annoyed with all of the Captains concerns. His brown and cream mane whipped about in the wind, matching the bristling of his identically coloured blotched coat. They were already ones that he was well aware of, however it was made clear to him that the Equestrian government could not finance an armada. He knew that Shining was more experienced than he was, hell, Whitehooves was an entire decade younger, but the chain of command had to be maintained. Even if that meant being firm with his friend once in a while.

“Yes Admiral” Shining retreated below deck and made his way to the sleeping quarters which had been offered to Twilight and Sparkling. The dark hallway seemed to bend and stretch before his very eyes as the vessel rocked in the choppy waters of the Hippocampian Sea. They had only been sailing for a few days but already the southernmost port in Equestria was long behind them, as were the gentle waters that surrounded its shores. Shining was about to knock on his sister’s door when it swung open and a dark brown earth pony with a bright red, swept back mane walked out. He curtly nodded to Shining as he walked past, a heavy pack full of books and glass instruments on his back.

“Oh, hi Shining. Did you meet Cavalier Darwin? He is going to be helping me with documenting all of the new species we find and also help with any excavations. We were just talking about some of the new species of whales we saw yesterday.” Twilight somehow managed to say all this in one breath, barely containing her excitement.

“Was that all you were doing in there… I see Sparkling isn’t in here.” Shining teased with a wink. He had talked him several times before but Twilight seemed oblivious.

Blushing she stammered her excuses. “P-please, we are just colleagues.” She quickly tried to change the subject. “What did the Admiral say about the lack of defensive equipment?”

“Well, to be honest, I think he is of my opinion, but there is not much he can do. The parliament can't excuse that sort of expenditure after the Great War.” At the mere mention of the event, Shining’s face became downcast. He had still been having nightmares ever since that first night. They were starting to go away, but it seemed the less frequent they became, the more troubling they were to his wellbeing.

“Are…you still having nightmares?” His sister’s concerned eyes and gentle smile was all it took for him to break from his stupor.

“Yes, but they are few and far between, I just need the company of friends and family” He tried to put on a brave face, but he knew Twilight could see right through it.

“Come on Shining, let’s get some fresh air.” Shining nuzzled his sister, again thankful to have such a supportive sister.

Once on the top deck, Shining Armour found Cadence playing with Sparkling in the afternoon breeze. The two were running amongst the ropes and boats which were used for landing and sending messages to the other ships. It looked as though they were pretending to be sword fighting with sticks. Sparkling was wearing a fake crown.

“You won’t get away from me, thief, for I am Luna, leader of Celestia’s armies!” The filly tried to put on the Coyal Canterlot voice, but it still came out in her characteristically high pitched foal voice.

“She loves her as if she were her own, you know, Twili. Ever since she found out that we couldn’t…” Shining let out a sigh. “I know you were a little worried about bringing her with us, but Cadence wouldn’t have been able to come if she couldn’t have kept an eye on her. To know Sparkling would be safe.”

“I know, I just hope Sparkling doesn’t think of herself as invincible.” Twilight walked up to where the Princess and her daughter were playing. The pair had stopped fighting for now and were lying on the deck, pointing at the clouds.

“Come on little filly, it’s time for you to get back to your studies, just because there is no school on the ship doesn’t mean you get out of work.” It pained twilight to have to force her daughter to study when she was having so much fun. Cadence and Sparkling pulled themselves up off the deck. As they did so, Sparkling stopped and squinted at the horizon.

“Mummy, I see a ship, it’s really small, but I see it.” She continued to cry out to her mother, but Twilight was busy discussing the situation with Cadence and Shining Armour. They were whispering at first, but then Shining told one of the sailors to get the Admiral. Finally Twilight knelt down to face her daughter.

“Sweetie, I have to go now and talk to Princess Luna about what you saw. That was very well spotted, I’m very proud of you.” Twilight made sure to appear calm for her daughter. “I want you to stay with Cadence, she is going to stay with you in our room for a while and make sure you do your homework.”

“Ohh kaayyyy.” With that Cadence and Sparkling walked over to the staircase.

“Thank you princess.” That was all Twilight said before she teleported to “The Explorer”.

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As the ship started to come closer, it became clear that it was not a military vessel, merely a merchant ship. It had just one large triangular sail which stretched all the way from the bow to the stern and had a blue flag with four red emblems in each quadrant.

“It can’t be a Griffon ship can it?” Twilight was confused, as not only were the griffon nation landlocked; they were now too weak economically to have any navy at all.

“Even as you say Twilight Sparkle. It is a Coalition ship; I don’t know what they are doing this far south however, it is quite unlike them to be expanding so rapidly.” Luna was perplexed but did not appear overly concerned.

“I’ve never heard much about the Coalition; there are no books about them in the Royal Canterlot Archives. What species are they?” Twilight was somewhat embarrassed that she had been so oblivious to foreign affairs.

“It seems your education is far from complete Miss Sparkle. No matter, they are another nation of ponies which have form…”

“WHAT! But I thought Equestria was the only pony nation.” Twilight glanced down at the jet black floor of Luna’s cabin as she realised her outburst had interrupted the princess.

“As I was saying, they have formed a minor republic from the four city states in which they originated, as can be indicated by their flag.” Luna then gave permission for twilight to ask as she levitated a map which lay in her desk drawer.

“So they don’t have a government like ours?”

“Yes, although both our nations are democratic, ours is based on a Constitutional Monarchy. My sister and I do not have absolute power over the state, although we still hold the most influence.” As Luna rolled up the map that she had been studying she got her quill and wrote a letter, clearly addressed to whoever was in command to the other ship.

“Although our intentions are peaceful, I am going to send an envoy to their ship to ask for information as to their presence and to offer the trading of goods. Give this letter to Cadence and tell her to assemble two of our best Pegasi guards. Her orders are to deliver this letter and then report back to me.” Luna then took her leave and retreated back into her sleeping quarters.

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As the trio skimmed across the rich blue waters, they could hear the sound of bells and shouts coming from the other ship. This was to be Cadence’s first action as ambassador and she was determined not to mess things up. As the ship came clearly into view, they saw several ponies armed with muskets and pikes assemble on the side of the ship.

“M'lady, they are about to open fire, we must take evasive action!” The Pegasi were worried for their safety, but she was not about to ignite another war. She thought quickly and decided to project her message across the water.

“Citizens of the Coalition, we mean no harm, please allow us to land on your vessel so that we may bring tidings from Equestria.” It was not the first time Cadence had used the royal canterlot voice, but it still sent shivers down her spine whenever she did. Upon hearing the message, the muskets were visibly lowered; however the pikemen formed a ring around an obvious landing zone.

As the envoy landed onto the surface of the boat, the pikemen raised their weapons out of harm’s way.

“I’m terribly sorry, but I’m afraid we’ve ‘ad a bit o’ trouble with pirates of late.” A large burly earth pony in a dark brown waistcoat with a black mane and white fur stepped forward. “I’m captain Sledgehammer and this is my crew, now what can I do for you miss…”

“Princess Cadence, ambassador for the nation of Equestria. I am here with a message from our leaders”. Cadence levitated the scroll from her saddle bags and into the hoof of the captain.

After a quick glance he rolled it up and returned it to the princess. “We’re glad that you’re not looking to pick a fight. As for what we are doing here, the coalition set up a colony on the island of Marilus about six months ago, we were delivering building supplies.” On hearing this Cadence made sure to report it back to Luna.

“And our offer for trade, what say you?” Although she knew she was safe, Cadence did not wish to stay on the foreign ship any longer than necessary.

“We got caught in a storm a couple nights back, lost most of our medical supplies. In return we can give you ten weeks of food for a crew of our size. Based on the look of your fleet though, that will probably only be about two weeks worth.”

“Deal, we will return with your supplies in exactly three hours, agreed?”

“Right you are, Princess.”

After the trading exchange was complete, Shining lead the small flotilla of rowing boats back the “Chalice of Hope”. The three meter long boats were only just able to carry the weight of food, and Shining was doing all he could to lighten the load with his magic. Once back on board the vessel, he embraced his friends and family as they waved farewell to their seafaring counterparts. It was a bittersweet parting however, as the clouds of the storm they had been told about were gathering on the horizon. The night ahead seemed like it would be a long and treacherous one indeed.

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As the fleet continued on its course through the storm, Twilight became increasingly uneasy about not possessing the necessary skills to help the crew to safety. She slowly pulled back the covers of her bed, and slid as quietly as possible out of the room so as not to wake Sparkling. However the moment that she closed the door, her daughter’s eyes snapped open and she silently followed Twilight down the hallway, giving no more indication of her presence than a shadow in the darkness of Luna’s night.

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“What’s the situation Captain?” Admiral Whitehooves had practically jumped out of bed when he heard the crash.

“I’m not sure sir; I’m on my way now.” The captain nodded to his superior and galloped onto the top deck.

When he got there he found most of the ponies on the side of the ship, trying to throw ropes to the sailors who had fallen overboard. Twilight was desperately trying to hold one of the larger sail beams in place with her magic, the ropes to which had broken. All the while the rain was pounding everyone exposed.

“Twili! Hang on, I’m coming to help!” He rushed to her side where she added his own strength to hers.

“Where is Cadence?!”

“She’s helping the ponies stuck in the water. Do you think you can get up there while I hold the beam in place and tie the ropes off?” Shining hated the thought of sending his sister into such a dangerous situation, but there was little choice. Twilight wasn’t strong enough to support the beam by herself any longer and they both knew it.

Suddenly a small squeaking voice cried out. “I can do it, Mamma!”

Twilight screamed in horror. “Sparkling, no!!! Get back here it’s too dangerous, go back to our room now!”

Before she could say anything else, the blue filly scrambled up the rope ladder on the side of the ship, proceeded to effortlessly walk along the floating beam with a sturdy rope in her mouth, tie up the sail beam, and slide down another rope, right down in front of her mother’s feet.

“I did it! I did it!” Suddenly there was a bright flash and an image of an anchor and compass appeared on her flank.

Despite Sparkling’s achievement, Twilight could not be more upset by the whole ordeal. “Sparkling Seas, I am so disappointed in you right now, can’t you see you could have been killed! Go back to the cabin NOW!!!” Twilight continued to scream as her daughter ran down the stairs, tears streaming down her face.

“Twilight, she was only trying to help” Shining tried to comfort her.

“Don’t tell me how to raise my daughter!” Twilight snapped at her brother.

With that she went to the back of the ship and curled up amongst some hay and barrels where she silently cried herself to sleep.

As all of this happened, the remaining sailors were pulled back on board and the fleet proceeded out of the worst of the storm, the Island of Marilus just visible over the horizon.